Top Products You Need To Buy When Expecting Twins

When you’re expecting twins the thought of buying double of everything can be quite overwhelming. Obviously to raise a baby you only need the bare essentials, but with twins having all of those nifty gadgets can make life so much easier. I’ll be sharing with you our top products that we love that have helped our family survive the crazy newborn phase with twins and a toddler.

Capsules

Initially we decided against buying capsules to save money, so we started off with buying convertible car seats and attachable bassinets for the stroller. It was a nightmare. Every time we would transfer the girls from the carseat to the bassinet they would wake up crying, every.single.time. So after 3 months of that we bought capsules and have never looked back! It has made going on family outings 1000 x easier as you simply unhook the capsule from the capsule base and click it straight into the stroller adaptors. The girls usually sleep like a dream in their capsules so they have been a godsend when we are out and about! If you have twins you NEED them! We use the Britax B-safe 35 capsules, britax click and go adaptors and Baby Jogger City Select Stroller.

2. Zipper Swaddles

With twin newborns you are changing up 30-40 nappies a day and wrapping/rewrapping the babies with traditional swaddles is time consuming. The zip swaddles are fuss free and make the overnight changes much easier. We LOVE our Love To Dream and Ergo Pouch swaddles as they have double zippers (don’t have to get them completely undressed as you can zip from the bottom up), transitional arms (arms in/out) and they have different thicknesses (togs) available for both Summer and Winter.

In those early days I was unable to settle the twins into their bassinets and it was very nearly impossible to cuddle both of them at the same time by myself, this meant that my MIL and I would both have screaming babies while we tried to get the toddler through his bath/bed routine. The automatic swings replaced this rocking sensation that they needed to go to sleep and once we got them the girls slept in their swings during the day and I would later transfer them to their bassinets at around 11pm at night. I also used the swings so I could tend to my toddler, organise him snacks and cook dinner for us in the afternoons. At 4 months we don’t use the swings that often as the twins are quite happy playing on their mat, but I don’t think I could have survived the newborn phase without them. Atleast one swing will do but if you can afford two then buy double.

We used these from a month old and we use them every single day. These specific bouncers can be crossed over and you can tap them with your foot (or get a rocking device) to keep the twins settled while you do almost anything…eat breakfast, eat dinner, watch tv. Our twins also slept in their bouncers swaddled during the day too…I know not ideal but you do what you have to do to survive. I like the recline on these Babybounce bouncers as they’re less curved and they’re easy to clean, easy to store away, great for travelling and they allow the twins legs to dangle at the bottom. We place the bouncers close to the couch so the twins can kick off it and they love it!

You’ll never have to use your old iPhone, white noise apps or YouTube videos ever again! This little gadget plays white noise for hours and helps your baby sleep like a dream. It’s super handy if you have other young children as it helps block out the noise – plus the noise from the other twin too. It’s USB rechargeable, the battery lasts all night and the best aspect is that it is portable so we take it EVERYWHERE!

During the first few weeks I used a mock Twin Z pillow all day, every day. It is great for tandem breastfeeding/bottle-feeding and as a safe space to put the twins down when you have to go and do something. It’s actually quite difficult to get the latch right without a feeding pillow so if you plan on breastfeeding it is a must-have. If you have a multi-storey house I would recommend buying an extra pillow for the areas that you will most likely breastfeed in because lugging it up and down the stairs is a pain – plus if you’ve had a csection its tricky enough moving the babies between floors without falling and adding another element is not ideal. Another pillow that is also popular amongst twin mums is the My Brest Friend twin pillow – you can’t lay your babies in it but some mums prefer it over the Twin Z as the flat surface makes it easier to latch the babies onto the breast.

7. Dummies/Pacifiers/Soothers

Quite a few mums are against dummies but I definitely think that there is a place for them. One of our twins doesn’t take one and the other does, so when they are both upset I use the dummy to settle one and then I’ll tend to the other once the first has calmed. It is pretty overwhelming having two babies scream at you so introducing dummies have been lifesaving. Our favourites are the Closer to Nature Tommee Tippee orthodontic soothers.

8. Twin Carrier or Wrap

I personally didn’t use a twin carrier but I so wish I did! As said above, when you’re on your own and both babies need to cuddled or rocked to sleep a carrier really does the trick. During witching hour when both babies would be unsettled I’d pop a movie on for my 2 year old and I’d put a baby in my single carrier/wrap so that I could cook dinner while also watching on as the other baby in the bouncer would scream at me for cuddles! In those early days where witching hour rolls on in at 4pm every night (all the way up to 11pm!), a twin carrier would make those moments a lot easier to survive. When the babies are a little bit older a twin carrier would be handy for travelling through airports, going to day family festivals, malls or even just general day-to-day use. Favourites amongst the twin community are the Twingo Carrier, Twingaroo Carrier and the Weego Twin Carrier.

The best thing about these suits are that they have the double zipper which means you don’t have to undress the babies completely to change their nappies, you just unzip from the bottom up. Accompanied with a zip swaddle makes overnight changes a breeze – especially when you’re doing double. They have fold-down mittens and foot covers which is an added bonus and I find that the sizing is generous too. The suits come in a wide range of cool prints and the stretchy material helps to lengthen the life of the suit. Bonds quite often have 40% off sales so look out for them 🙂

10. Baby Bath

Bathtime is a looooong process. If you don’t want to break your back, get one.

I used this pump every 3 hours for the first 2 months power pumping to keep my breastmilk supply up and to build a stash for the freezer. In regards to output I found it to be just as good as the hospital grade pumps, it is compact, easy to clean and portable too. If you plan on breastfeeding a good pump is definitely something that you need but I would recommend waiting till after the babies are born when you can monitor your breastfeeding journey. Along with this I would recommend getting a double pump bra which allows you to be handsfree. I used a cheaper option and poked holes in a tubi-grip o you can buy a cheap maternity bra from kmart and cut two holes in it. This allowed me to tandem bottle feed while double pumping.

About Me

Hi guys, my name is Tracy. I'm 29, sleep-deprived and coffee is life. I'm here to share, enlighten, inspire and connect with other mummies. Follow me on my journey navigating through motherhood, embracing my new mumbod and everything in between. x